Manuša

Júlia Kozáková is a young Slovakian singer who is, at present, studying at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. As a child she sang Slovak traditional music and later discovered the beauty of Central European Roma music. Manuša means ‘People’ in Romani and, working with a Slovak Roma ensemble, Kozáková has recorded 13 songs that apparently either hail from this region or are popular with local Roma. I must admit to not having previously had much contact with Czech or Slovakian music – Roma or otherwise – beyond the efforts of the late Vera Bila. Kozáková does not attempt to add Latin/pop flavours to the songs (as Bila did), instead using traditional violins and cimbaloms to back her. She sings well and the band play beautifully; Kozáková’s deep respect for the music and culture of the Slovak Roma permeates these recordings. If there’s a flaw here it is that while Kozáková is obviously deeply engaged with the music, neither she nor her musicians ever break free of the Central and Eastern European Roma folk tradition the music is rooted in and mark the songs with their own personality. I enjoyed listening but never found myself surprised – Bila’s best music had the sound of surprise. This noted, Manuša is highly recommended.